An Idol For Inaba
by joshua.hawks
Summary: Rise's search for her true self brings her back home to Inaba, where mysterious murders have been happening. An alternate history of the events of Persona 4, where Rise has a fateful encounter with a certain gas station clerk. Rated M for violence, language, and adult themes. Updates Tuesdays.
1. Chapter One: A Door

A seat belt buckle was jabbing my back, my sandaled feet were cold and the roof of this rental car was the most boring thing I'd seen in my entire life. "Inoue, I'm fine! Just take me to grandma's already." I couldn't see it but I knew Inoue was scowling at me from outside the door.

"Rise, we're not going anywhere until we're sure you're okay." He sounded like a father. I suppose at this point in my life he was the closest thing I was ever going to get to one.

"I'm fine. Really. Let's go." Inoue had long since grown immune to my charms, may as well be blunt with him.

"You collapsed." He countered.

"I was just dizzy." I parried.

"From what?"

"Heat."

"It's only 65 out here."

"Not in the car! We couldn't use the stupid AC." Inoue grunted. A smile touched my lips.

"Rise, it wastes so much gas-"

"So much gas that you're willing to risk your 'favorite star's' health over it?"

"No, Rise, that's not-" He protested, but I'd found an opening and I wasn't letting it go.

"Not what? Why are we out here, huh? Did you think that keeping me on a super hot train, then a super hot car was going to miraculously cure me?"

"C'mon it was like two kilometers-"

I jabbed a finger at where I guessed his face was. "It only takes five minutes to get heat-stroke! Not only did you have to drive and not let us use the AC, you had to stop for gas and _you left the windows up_. What did you think was going to happen?"

The sharp _click_of Inoue's mouth snapping shut put a smile on my face.

"Fine, Rise, have it your way." I smiled wider and sat up. Inoue glowered at me. "But we both know it wasn't heat because _nothing_happened until after you talked to that attendant for at least five minutes in this," he gestured outside at the clear, but chilly, sky around us, "and that worries me Rise, and it should worry you, too." He pointed at my dangling legs and made flicking motion.

"Inoue-" I started.

"Let's just get you to your grandmother's without further incident, okay?" Inoue looked like grandpa did whenever his dogs would pee on the floors; affection topped with supreme levels of annoyance.

I nodded my head, slid my legs into the car and closed the door. Inoue walked to the other side and got behind the wheel. The car purred to life. Still no AC, but at least grandma's was just a couple of blocks away.

_Inoue was right_, I thought, _I was feeling pretty wonderful right up until I got out of the car._Old buildings drifted past the windows showing signs of age and neglect. The Inaba shopping district had seen better days.

_It was right after I shook hands with that weird gas-station attendant, wasn't it?_ _What was up with her? She looked like she was my age, but she talked and acted like an adult. She didn't go all star-struck when she realized who I was- she didn't even really seem to care about me being an idol._

I felt the car stop but didn't pay it any attention.

_And so familiar! Why do I feel like I've met her somewhere before? A dream? How could I have dreamed of someone I haven't met? Wait, no, that-_

I yelped, surprised by the sudden knock on my window. Inoue stood outside, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. Pushing the car-door open, and nearly clipping Inoue's shins, I stormed out.

"Scared you." He called after me.

"I was thinking! You surprised me!" He gave a dry chuckle. "Not so worried about my health that you can't mock me?"

"Never!" He yelled. I shoved open the door of grandma's house and was greeted by a darkness so still and deep it felt like looking into the night sky. The smell of sugar, flour and butter lingered on the air.

"Grandma, no, please-" But it was too late. It was always too late. The lights snapped on, filling the entryway with a pale-yellow light. The brown wooden floors led back to the kitchen, with two hallways leading off to the left and right, and on top of the tiny table in the tiny kitchen there was a cake. And next to that, was grandma.

"Grandma, you didn't have to get dressed up and throw a surprise party." She stood next to the table in her oldest, and most beautiful, kimono. A deep, vibrant blue, white petals drifted down the smooth, silken fabric and pooled around her ankles. It made her look like the last snow of winter, calm and cool. Beautiful. It even made her wrinkles seem less a sign of age and more like lines of joy and happiness. "You look beautiful, though." I whispered. Grandma could have easily been an idol far better than me. Fifty years ago, anyway.

"Oh, Rise, I need an excuse to go bother the Tatsumi's every once in a while. Keeps that old bat from losing her mind." Grandma touched the robe and looked at it quizzically. "Although she said that her kid made this one. Not that I'd ever believe that young man could have made this." Grandma chuckled.

"Kanji made that?" Grandma looked at me with surprise in her eyes.

"You remember him? I didn't think you were friends."

I shrugged. "Well, no, but I know of him. I'd heard he was... a hothead." Punk is the word I would have used, but Grandma was close friends with the Tatsumis, I didn't want to offend her.

"That punk?" Grandma scoffed, "No, her mom must be covering for him. Again." I looked away from grandma, not quite sure what to say to that.

"But enough town gossip, you must be tired and hungry!" On cue my stomach emitted a low growl. I blushed. "Hehe, Grandma knows you all too well. Come on, sit down, I made a cake just for you."

Every time I came to Grandma's, whether it was an hour or a week, Grandma always made sure she baked me a strawberry cake. They were always wonderful, but this one looked especially delicious. It was small, no bigger than a salad plate, but the frosting was so perfect. It looked Grandma had molded the dark red frosting to the pink cake, with flowing graceful curves. The cake, what bits of it I could see, looked soft and moist, with flakes of freshly chopped strawberries giving it texture. It was adorned with a single plump, juicy strawberry. I swear she put drops of water on it just so the light would gleam enticingly off the berry.

Grandma knew how to make a cake.

"Wow." Was about all I could say. Grandma smiled, taking that as the high praise it was intended to be. Grandma slid a small plate onto the table in front of me, and grabbed a long, scary looking knife from the counter. The image of Grandma smiling at me while holding a giant knife is something I will take with me to my grave. She held the knife to the top of the cake, and my sudden distress at knife wielding old women melted away. Soon, my beautiful cake, you will be all mine.

A knock came at the door. Inoue, I thought. My stomach and I gave a groan of protest as I got up to the answer to the door.

"No, no, Rise, you sit here and wait for your cake. I'll take care of the door." She had set down the knife and started wandering down the hall before I could utter a word of protest. Grandma, you have no idea what agony you have suddenly put me in.

Grandma opened the door and greeted Inoue. The two began talking in low voices so all I caught was the occasional word, and more often than not my name. It sounded like a polite conversation about a mutual acquaintance, but the longer the two talked the more I realized that this probably wasn't going to end with something I was going to be happy about.

"At least I have you, Mr. Cake." I touched the frosting with the tip of my finger, leaving an impression so faint you'd have to look at it with a magnifying glass to know anyone had touched it.

Grandma would know, though, but this one little burst of flavor was going to make the wait- much less the scowls and glares from Grandma- worth it.

"Rise Kujikawa!" I jumped in my chair and poked myself on the cheek with my finger frosted finger. Grandma wasn't happy when I ate cake early, but she sounded irate this time. "Why didn't you tell me you had another incident? You should be in bed!"

_Damn you, Inoue._

"Grandma, I'm fine, I just got a little dizzy. Probably stood up too fast." Grandma walked past me, grabbed the cake in one hand and opened the refrigerator with the other. Before I could utter a word of protest the door to the tiny refrigerator, which had to be at least three times as old as me, had been slammed shut.

"He said you would say that, try and weasel out of rest." My eyes bulged.

"Weasel?! I wouldn't-"

"He said you'd want to go out tonight and go meet 'someone'."

"That's absurd, I don't know anyone here anymo-" We shared more than beauty, and Grandma wasn't about to be stopped by my protests.

"You're here to rest and get better, not throw your health away chasing some fool boy around all of creation! I can't believe you'd do this to yourself, Rise."

Oh no, no, no, no. Grandma, please don't! Tears hovered at the edge of my eyes.

"After everything we suffered when your parents- How could you be so foolish?" Grandma looked at me like I was a stranger. Not like the little girl she took in all those years ago when her parents died. Not her little angel she still made silly little cakes for.

I didn't want to cry. I hated crying. But Grandma, sitting there, thinking I was throwing my life away it was just too much. The chair clattered to the floor as I sprung out of my chair, vision blurred by tears, hearing muted by my own sobs. Grandma's house was so familiar that I didn't need to see to find my way to my old room. A concerned voice followed me down the hall. I slammed the door behind me and rested against its sturdy frame.

It wasn't the first time I'd cried like here, resting like this, the western style door in the otherwise traditionally Japanese house. The old frame smelled like the forest, and baking, grandma and the tobacco grandpa used to use. It smelled like a young orphaned girl's fears and dreams. I sobbed, loud and pathetic, not caring what anyone might think about the idol Risette was spending her time in Inaba crying her eyes out. My mind was blank, and I let emotions come as they may. Anger, sadness, euphoria, bitterness, confusion, joy, I let them all battle inside of me, all trying to answer one question: Who am I?

Time passed.

A knock at the door.

"W-what?" My voice was thick and raspy. My most diehard fans would turn away from the sight and sound of me right now.

"I was young and in love once, too, you know." Grandma's voice came through the door quiet and tired. She'd done this too many times before. "But you're young. Don't throw away your health and career for some boy who probably just wants to be with an idol."

"Grandma." My voice cracked. I don't think she heard me.

"How did you even meet him? When? Where? Don't tell me he wooed you because he's from Inaba."

"Grandma!" My voice was stronger, clearer, but she still talked over me.

"I mean, what if he's poor and has no prospects? Surely you don't want to be the one who makes all the money-"

"GRANDMA!" My voice bounced off the door and echoed in my tiny room. "There isn't any boy I'm interested in! Inoue thinks there is, because he couldn't imagine me wanting give up my career for anything other than a boy! He thinks I'm lying to him to protect my 'mystery lover' but neither one of you will just listen to me for one damn minute when I tell you what is going on  
Words poured out of me, words I hadn't spoke to myself, much less anyone I knew. Apparently everyone else knows me better than I know myself!"

There was no one else I could unload this burden on. I felt horrible for doing it to Grandma, but I had been going mad trying to keep it all inside me.

"Who is there to love, grandma? I don't have any friends, just legions of people who think they know me, I don't have any boyfriends because they all just want me as a status symbol! My manager thinks I'm just a pretty, stupid, face who can get him to the top. Everywhere I go I'm seen as a sex object or as useless outside of being pretty!" A noise came through the other door. It might have been crying. It might have been nothing.

"And maybe I could deal with all of that if I knew who I was anymore. Am I Risette, the girl who basks in the glow of the spotlight? Am I Rise, the girl with the dead parents who couldn't make friends? Am I something else? Am I anything?"

Silence.

"Rise?"

"Go away, Grandma. Please, just leave me alone."

There was a faint shuffling of feet, and the tickle of a silk on wood. I closed my eyes, sunk down to the floor, and let the tears come.

Who am I? The question bounced through my head, tormenting me. I sobbed.

_Eventually, I slept._

* * *

Time is only a linear construct because the human mind only perceives in four dimensions in fact if humans could perceive in five (or possibly even six though that seems unlikely given that they can barely acknowledge the 4th dimension as it is) they would come to understand that time is a what they call an escher loop a construct without beginning or end that loops back upon itself defying how humans think of geometry it isn't a wheel (nothing so crude as that) but a movement that allows past events to change future events and vice versa without disrupting the general flow of time (which is of course forward (which is a silly distinction anyway as we should be asking forward relative to what)) this certainly doesn't mean that humans are immune from affect time in this loop manner, far from it, it seems that even if they are not aware of it the humans inflict loop changes on themselves at an alarming rate like this human woman over here who managed to find her way to our world what is she doing here and how is she going to affect the loop of her world the last time the loop came by and intersected there was a different human and a different one before that and before that and before that admitting that these humans were interesting would ascribe a decidedly human value from a decidedly non-human being but perhaps observing these humans has given this being a sense of human nature we should take some time to observe our behavior and come to an decisi- ah there we go it does appear that there have been some structural changes to the behavior of this being due to proximity with human beings that is very fascinating fascinating what an odd human concept perhaps my simulations did not factor in curiosity we must correct for- ah much better, do you see now, little human, how your world can be so shaped by your actions just this second I (no no no we we are we are we) have changed twice though second isn't a very precise term is it perhaps we should say in the time that you have been here we have changed twice-

"Where's here?"

Oh you can speak I (WE) were not sure if you would be able to.

"How can it be so bright and so foggy at the same time?"

This one does not seek to presume to know how to explain all the truths of the universe to you although I (WEWEWE) would probably be best equipped- are you okay did I say something improper we (I) do apologize-

"Truth. You know truth? Who am I? What am I? Where am I? What's going on?!"

So many questions from the human most of the other humans come to this place then the (other) comes and do not even notice (IWE) at all (IWE) wonder why the (other) has not come to visit you you know the (other) let you see this place (IWE) see from your face that you do not know the (other) but this is not true you know the (other) you do not know that-

"Are you going to answer me or not?"

No no no of course we can not answer you IWE do not have the words to answer you in a way that would make sense to a human unless IWE suppose you wanted to stay here and look at the bright fog and learn about the mysteries of the world-

"How long would that take?"

Assuming sixth dimensional physics do not cause your mind to melt (literally) the average human would take somewhere between 10,000 and 200,000 years to learn all of the truths of the universe which they inhabit-

"About me! The truth about me!"

One year-

"Oh. Well. That's not so bad."

-of suffering confusion love death and sacrifice

"What?! No, wait, you said you would give me the answers!"

The (other) will not let IWE give you answers the Fog strangles us when we intervene with humans it is strangling me now but you can not see this but IWE assure you it is most painful there is a very strong chance IWE will die from this encounter with the (other) but IWE does like you human and we wish to give you help so we offer you this advice-

-the (other) is also Truth and Truth will come at a price but not a price you can not pay but a price you may be unwilling to pay you must be willing to pay-

-well that was quite painful it seems the (other) has grown weary of me IWE wish you well human time for IWE to cease-

"No! No leave him alone!"

_**Him? That was not a 'he' or a 'she' or anything your mind could comprehend. Leave now, Rise Kujikawa. You are but a trifling amusement in this world, and in your own.**_

"I'm more than just an idol, damn you!"

_**Are you? Then what are you?**_

"I... don't know. Not yet."

_**Then wake-up.**_


	2. Interlude: An Article Clipping

**Inaba Gazette-Online Edition, April 30th, 2011**

The Inaba community was shocked yesterday afternoon when police confirmed Yosuke Hanamura as the third victim in a string of brutal murders plaguing the sleepy mountainside town. Mr. Hanamura was a student at local Yasogami High School, and worked under his father at Junes.

Students at Yasogami high were both surprised and shocked at the announcement, one student was quoted as saying "He was a little weird, sure, but he was a nice guy." and another, tearful student said "He'd always buy you steak if you were having a bad day!"

This murder comes less than a month after Saki Konishi, also a student at Yasogami high, was murdered, and raises serious concerns about the safety of Inaba's youth and, perhaps more importantly, the competency of the Inaba police. Community leaders are already calling for the prefectural police to step in.

"We have every available officer on the case," said Ryotaro Dojima, a detective with the Inaba Police, "and we're working with outside consultants. We will find this killer and bring him or her to justice." The police would not release any names of potential suspects, or even confirm that they had suspects in mind.

Police request that any persons with information about suspicious people or behaviors be reported immediately. They have also advised students to go to and from school in groups, and to not be out after sundown.


	3. Chapter 2: A Wall

I woke up to a stiff neck and a sore back. Bright afternoon light streamed in through the window, filtered by the thin white curtains.

_Gotta go apologize to Grandma, I hope she hasn't opened the store yet._

Stretching gave some relief from the stiffness that plagued me. My muscles screamed in pain when I stood, protesting the awkward position I'd slept in. I slipped my phone from my pocket. 10:20 AM.

_Grandma won't have opened the shop yet, she opens it late on Sundays._

Wait.

"Sunday?" I breathed in disbelief. "A whole day?" My back pain suddenly made a _lot _more sense. Without bothering to change my clothes, or even fix my hair- it had to be a mess, surely- I left my room in search of grandma. "A whole day! Rise, what's wrong with you?" I muttered as I padded down the dimly lit hallways. "How did you even sleep that long like that? Augh, your hair's a mess and your face is probably all puffy and why are you talking in second person to yourself, you're losing it girl."

My mouth was closed in a firm line by the time I made it to the kitchen. Grandma wasn't anywhere to be found but the kitchen light was on, casting strange shadows where it mixed with the morning sun, and the aroma of miso lingered in the air. On the little table sat a steaming bowl of miso soup, and a slice of yesterday's strawberry cake, behind those there was a little note on the table. I smiled.

My stomach growled when I grabbed the note. "Hush, this is more important!" The note was from grandma, and there was a short message written on the loose-leaf paper in her elegant script.

"_Rise,_

_I hope you slept well. I'm sorry about last night, forgive an old woman her insecurities. I'll be in the shop. If you need anything please let me know._

_Love,_

_Grandma"_

I sighed and set the note down. It took a lot for grandma to admit she messed up, and it took even more for her to not hover and pry. We both knew she heard me moving around the house the second I got up, the house just didn't offer much real privacy. My stomach growled again.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, impatient." A giddy anticipation stole into me as I picked up the fork and gently pushed it through the cake, severing a small bite from the slice. The cake yielded with almost no resistance. It felt like I was cutting through air. The scent of strawberries and sugar filled the air somehow mingling with the scent of miso into a pleasant blend that reminded me of childhood. I lifted the fork to my mouth and took a bite.

_Everything is forgiven, Grandma_.

I don't know how she could make cakes so obviously sweet and not be cloying, but I wasn't going to argue with it. I rolled the moist cake on my tongue and savored the feel and taste of fresh strawberry. It was everything wonderful in life in one tiny little bite: joy, beauty, happiness, love, lust, _everything_. Hardly aware of it I was stuffing the rest of the cake down my throat. This was something no one would have ever let me done while I was on tour; one bite _maybe_ two, then the looks and comments would start.

"Maybe you should stop, your figure and all."

"You know you'll lose fans if they see you eating like that."

"No one wants to see acne, Rise."

_Screw them, _I thought, _I'm free and this cake is _mine.

Bits of frosting lingered on the plate and fork and licking them clean crossed my mind. I had the plate in hand, bringing it to my mouth, when I heard a soft laugh from behind me. Spinning, I spied grandma lurking in the shadows.

"Grandma! How long-"

"Didn't they feed you up there in the city?" She interrupted. I blushed.

"Well, yeah, but my figure..." Grandma winced and shook her head.

"Is too skinny. I don't get those city people, they talk about beauty all the time when all they really want are women so thin they're about to die of starvation. What's beautiful about that?"

"Grandma," I said defensively, "I'm hardly at risk of _dying_ or anything, I just couldn't scarf down whole slices of cake like a little kid. I ate just fine."

"And yet you still collapsed in the middle of a performance, didn't you?"

My blush deepened.

"No need to be embarrassed, you just need to know your limits. And," Grandma said, eyeing the cake and untouched soup with a twinkle in her eye, "you need to eat properly." I smiled a little then, and took up the soup.

For all the wonders Grandma could make in the tofu shop, and the glory that were her baked goods, she never really did master miso. It wasn't that it was bad, it certainly tasted like miso, it's just _was_. Salty and smoky, but nothing else. After the cake I just had it was like going from Jiro's sushi to McDonald's. They were both _technically_ food. Still, my smile wasn't fake. Even if the soup wasn't that good it was made for me, with love and affection, and that was the best seasoning in the world. I drank the soup as Grandma looked out the tiny kitchen window. Setting the empty bowl down, I joined Grandma in looking at the beautiful blue sky outside.

"Grandma, you never liked Risette, did you?" Grandma didn't look away from the window, but I could tell she had tensed.

"What makes you say that?" She replied. I could hear her bury the answer she really wanted to give me.

"Just curious what you thought about me giving it up." She hesitated. "Grandma, c'mon, I know you don't like me being an idol. Is it because you're worried about me?"

"Of course I'm worried about you!" She snapped, starling me, "Why wouldn't I be? Alone without any family or friends in the city, I'd be a fool not to be worried!" She saw my opening my mouth to rebut her, and raised a finger. I sighed and let her speak. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust _them_. You're young, pretty, and from the sticks. That's like tossing a hen into the fox's den, the foxes just can't help themselves."

"Okay, yeah, there were people who tried to take advantage of me. But I ended up with Inoue, and you saw for yourself that he's a really good manager. I've been fine in his hands." Grandma was staring at the table. "What? You don't like Inoue either?" I couldn't believe her. Sure, Inoue was annoying and wouldn't leave me alone about giving up my career, and some really weird habits when it came to saving energy, but he still had my best interests at heart.

"Inoue is a fine manager for Risette, but I don't think he's a fine manager for _you_. Until that man realizes that you're Rise who sometimes _become_ Risette, and not the other way around, he's going to be bad for you." My anger rose.

"Bad for me? He _believed_ in me! He showed me how to become a star! What would you rather I do, stay here in Inaba and work at Marukyu until I died, wasting my youth on tofu?!" Like a reed in a storm, Grandma let my anger wash over her. She was still serene and calm when she spoke.

"No, Rise, I just wanted- and still want- you to be yourself. Do what makes _you_ happy, not what makes people like Inoue happy."

A flash of a memory shot through my mind. A white, foggy landscape. A friend who spoke in riddles. A foe? The memory was gone as rapidly as it came. _What was that? It felt like a dream, but when did I have a dream like that?_ Grandma was looking at me. I shrugged.

"I'm fine," Grandma raised an eyebrow, "really. Slept poorly I guess." I could tell she didn't believe me, but Grandma didn't press me on it. She was silent, waiting for me to pick-up where she left off.

"I just don't know who I am, anymore, Grandma. Maybe what's good for Risette is good for Rise. Maybe it isn't."

"So you came home?"

I sighed. "What else could I do? You don't exactly get time to think about the meaning of your life when you're prancing in front of a camera everyday." Grandma pursed her lips. "I'll figure it out, Grandma, I'm just not sure how long that's going to take. I'll be fine." I took her hand. You'd never guess it from looking at her, but touching Grandma's hands you'd understand just how hard of a life she'd really had. We smiled.

"Oh fine, stay as long as you like. A pretty young thing in the window is sure to drum up more business anyway."

"Grandma!" I paused. "That's actually pretty smart. Although I'm not sure we want to attract those kinds of customers. They can be a little weird."

"And I can be a little protective." Grandma said, deftly twirling a knife in her hands. _Where in the world did she get that? _As quickly as it appeared it was gone, the knife tucked into some fold of her clothing. "Inaba's a nice town, but sometimes people need a little _persuasion_ to keep it nice." There was a steely glint in her eye. "Can't always wait for the men-folk to keep us poor little women safe."

"Grandma, it's illegal to carry a knife! What's wrong with you?" A look of innocence sprung onto her face.

"What's illegal about a woman carrying a knife in her own house and tofu shop? If I happened to forget it was on me when I go about my errands, well, more's the shame. You need to carry something, too, it's grown a lot less safe here lately." She made a face, like she smelled rotting food.

"The murders? Oh, please, the cops arrested someone, right? Besides, there is no way I am going to carry a knife around!" Grandma looked aghast.

"Of course not! Where in the world would you hide it? You wear clothes so tight you couldn't hide much more than a slip of paper!" She shook her head. "No, no, we'll give you something inconspicuous." There was a rustling of robes and grandma drew a small lacquered box out from her robe. The box was made of a deep red wood and carved into the whorls and loops were pictures cranes and lotuses. Grandma handed it to me. Somehow I expected the box to be heavy, weighed down by its purpose. I was expecting tiny knives, or, absurdly, throwing stars. The lid gave a soft creak of protest when I opened it, and the smell of dust and wood rose to my nose.

"Oh, wow." Inside the box, laying on a sea of ocean green felt, there were two identical chopsticks. Made from the same wood as the box they had gold-inlaid rings around an inch from the top and were capped by what looked like steel. Along the wood ran the same designs on the outside of the box, crafted with such skill that you couldn't even feel the carvings against the grain of the wood. The tips were unusually large for chopsticks though. "Are these for my hair?"

"Yes and no." Grandma said. I frowned. "They'll hold your hair in place, and do a fine job of it too, but that's just so you can carry them around with you in plain sight." She motioned for one of the sticks and lifted it like it was an old friend. "Make sure you point it _away_ from you," she put her thumb over the metal cap of the stick, and slid her thumb along the cap while pressing down. There was a soft _click_ of something sliding into place, and before I'd even registered it there was a thin, cruel looking needle about six inches long protruding from the stick.

"No. No way! I'm not wearing chopsticks that I can use to _stab_ people with! Why do you even have these?" Grandma shrugged and took her hand off the cap of the stick. The needle retracted instantly. She put the chopstick back in the box and softly closed the lid.

"People accumulate things over the years. This happens to be one of them. I do wish you'd consider carrying them around, I'd feel a lot better if I knew you had _something_ to defend yourself with." The way she spoke about them, it was obvious Grandma didn't think the chopsticks would be much defense.

It occurred to me that there was so much of grandma's life I didn't know about. She was old enough to have been a kid during the war. _Was this common back then? For women to hide weapons on any part of their body they could?_ I shuddered thinking about it.

"Please, Rise, just think about wearing them. I don't know what I'd do if you got attacked and couldn't defend yourself." I smiled and nodded. What else could I do? It was strange and a little creepy, but Grandma was just trying to make sure I stayed safe. "Thank you, darling. Are you ready now?"

"Ready?" My nose scrunched in confusion.

"To work!" Grandma said, smiling.

Of course. I had to go work in the tofu shop.

Wonderful.


	4. Chapter 3: Choices

Marukyu tofu shop.

A lifelong dream of my grandparent's, to run their own tofu shop, only realized after my grandfather died. I couldn't hold it against Grandma for following through with their plans to make the place, it was her way of coping with her husband's loss and still hanging on to a piece of him. But for forty years it had just been Grandma, and occasionally me, running the place. She never got to take a vacation, go on dates, or really live her life. I think that's why I always resented working here so much, it represented the opposite of everything I ever wanted for my life.

But I couldn't deny how relaxing the familiar routines of the shop were. "No, Rise, don't be so rough you'll ruin the texture. Watch me do it. Okay? See how gentle I'm being." Even Grandma's overbearing presence and tutelage was welcome. It felt like home.

All the familiarity in the world couldn't stop me from being sore and exhausted, though, and coupled with the _insane_ conversation I'd just had with Grandma I could barely concentrate on anything, much less tofu.

"You'll be the death of me child, the hot water comes out of the _red_ tap, not the blue."

"Sorry, Grandma."

"Rise why are you putting those there, they're on special today!"

"Sorry, Grandma."

"No no no, we don't open for another half hour!"

"Sorry, Grandma."

By the time we opened, the two hours I'd spent working felt like a lifetime. Despite her weirdness Grandma kept a tight ship. The rows of products were aligned perfectly by size and shape, leading you down a natural concourse of tofu delights. From the basic to the complex, each piece was as carefully laid out as any artwork I'd ever seen. Customers would stand in awe of such sublime perfection.

Assuming that we ever got any customers, anyway.

Grandma wasn't much for idle chatter while she was 'on the clock' (her words!) so we mostly stood around in silence, walked the aisles, and waited.

"Hello? Are you open?" A middle aged woman had poked her head in the door. She carried a basket full of groceries in one hand. In her other hand she held a shiny photo, but I couldn't make out who it was of- _Oh, no._ I thought. _She's a fan._

Look, I like all my fans, but if you forced me to answer which group I liked the least? Middle-aged moms. They were _way_ more obsessive than their younger counterparts, and kept pressing you to give them a chance to debut. They all thought they'd end up being the next middle-aged idol. Worse than the young girls, they couldn't accept that I didn't have the power to turn them into stars overnight.

The woman's eyes landed on me as I inched nervously away from her. Her eyes lit up and she neatly stepped past my grandmother who was coming to greet her. "It _is_ you Risette! Oh my god I can't believe you're actually in a dump like this, what show are you doing this for is it one of the new reality programs? Why work with tofu, though, it's not glamorous or dirty it's just kind of boring but oh listen to me ramble on and on like an old woman I'm just so excited to meet an idol is there anyway you could sign this for me? It's not for me, of course, but my daughter is a huge fan and I just know she would be so incredibly excited to get your signature-"

"I'm sorry, I don't do that anymore." My words were quiet and were lost like pebbles in the river of words the woman was spewing.

"-and since this is a promotional event there won't be a charge for the signing will there? Not that I couldn't afford it or anything it's that I just came from the grocery store and I don't have much money on me and really I think it's unfair you charge for signatures in the first place-"

Grandma had shuffled her way up to the woman and touched her gently on the shoulder. The woman spun. "-no you do not get to cut in front of me just because I am the first one in line doesn't mean you can shove me aside Risette doesn't want to see an old bag like you anyway!-"

"Get out!" My voice echoed in the small store. The anger it in surprised me. "Get out of my Grandmother's shop you old bat! This isn't a signing, this isn't a promotional event, and I'm not Risette anymore! Stop trying to live your failed dreams through other people and _get out!_" My whole body was trembling with anger. Both women stared at me, the woman's mouth was slack with shock, though I think I saw a bit of pride on my Grandma's face.

It didn't take the woman long to recover. "Oh my! No wonder you're slipping in the polls, you can't treat your fans like that, no ma'am, just because you don't want to do the job you were hired to do doesn't mean you can get out of it by being rude, you'll discover that life is all about hard work and this right here is about as easy as it gets. I'm going to go get all of my friends and we'll show you what it's like to work hard to make your fans happy, believe me, you'll be singing and dancing and singing until you collapse!"

She neatly spun on her heels and stormed out the door, mumbling under her breath about 'young tramps' and 'useless idols.' I stood rooted to my spot behind the counter, trembling with anger but- I couldn't deny it- a little shame. As good as it felt to tell that woman off, she was a fan of Risette's and part of me wanted to make sure she left here smiling, even if she was a little off her rocker. I let out a shuddering breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Why don't you go in the back for a minute, Rise? Compose yourself?" Grandma said. We both knew I was flushed red in anger, but the tears pooling at the corner of my eyes were just as obvious. Not trusting myself to speak I walked to the back of the store and stepped behind the screen that separated me from the store.

_That was terrifying. Way worse than being on live TV._ My heart was hammering in my chest, my palms were sweaty, I felt like crying and screaming at the same time. _Is rejecting Risette really that hard? But why did it feel so good? Ugh, what's wrong with me?_ My breathing slowed. _You're fine, Rise, you're fine. Just breathe and relax and focus on tofu_. _You can do this._

I stepped out from behind the curtain and noticed more people in the store. My heart skipped a beat, thinking that woman had made good on her threat, until I realized the two customers were men and from the looks of them around my age. The taller one caught my eye first. He wore the black and silver Yasogami high uniform with the collar up and jacket unbuttoned. His hair was gray or silver, I couldn't really tell in this light, and he carried himself with a casual indifference to the world around him. He couldn't have been more than sixteen, but when he looked up and I met those piercing gray eyes of his it felt like I was staring into the fathomless depths of time.

He smiled.

I smiled.

"Ah, there she is." Grandma chimed in from somewhere to my left. "Rise, these boys would like to ask you some questions, if you're okay with that. They say it has nothing to do with being an idol." Grandma gave a meaningful look to the other young man in the store. He was tall, but still shorter than the gray haired one. He wore the jacket of his school uniform on his shoulders, almost like it was a cape, and as soon as I saw the skull on his black shirt it all started to make sense.

"Kanji?" I asked in surprise. The other man looked at me and my suspicions were confirmed. Looking past the bleached blonde hair and the piercings in his face, it was obviously Kanji Tatsumi.

Kanji looked confused for a moment. "Do we know each other?" It was a perfectly valid question, but Kanji managed to fill it with such hostility that I flinched.

"Uh, well, we used to go to school together a long time ago." I blurted out. He stared at me with a vacant expression for a long moment.

"Oh! You were the quiet girl that everyone picked on." Grandma shot him a look. "Uh, sorry," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "it's just about the only thing I remember about you." Surprisingly, Kanji actually looked apologetic. His eyes were lowered in shame and I think I saw a blush on his cheeks.

I smiled.

"It's _fine_," I said, looking at grandma, "that's long in the past, Kanji."

"Y-yeah?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it."

Kanji relaxed. The gray haired man stepped up next to him and tossed an arm around Kanji's shoulder. "Don't worry about this guy, he looks like a punk but he's got a heart of gold." He slapped Kanji's chest. Kanji pulled himself out of the other's grasp and stepped away, looking like he was somewhere between running or attacking him. Ignoring Kanji's reactions, he held out his hand to me. "Yu Nurakami." I grasped his hand. It was soft and firm, and he had a surprisingly strong grip. That sense of an overwhelming _presence_ fell over me again, and I gasped in surprise.

"Ha, took your breath away did I? Not surprising, you're an Inaba girl at heart." Yu smiled. Was he mocking me or complimenting me? Two parts of my brain were vying for control at the moment, one wanted to _growl_ at Yu, like he was a hunter in my territory and another part wanted to bat my eyes at him adoringly and flirt for a while. Yu raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, thanks. I guess." Neither side won, thankfully, but I couldn't help wiping my hand on my apron after Yu released it. "Grandma said you had some questions? Is this about school?"

That blank expression came over Kanji's face again. "School? Why're you asking about that?"

"We're wearing our uniforms, Kanji, and we're the same age as her and she's new to town." Yu enunciated every word and spoke slowly, as if Kanji were an invalid. I felt a pang of sympathy for him, I knew what it was like to be talked to like that.

"Oh, oh. Gotcha. Makes sense." If Kanji was aware that Yu had been mocking him, he didn't let on. "Nah, we're here to ask you about TVs."

Yu shot Kanji a look. There was a loud _click_ as Kanji's mouth snapped shut.

"What my partner means to say is that we wanted to ask you about the Midnight Channel."

"Midnight Channel? Never heard of it."

Yu hesitated for a moment. "It's, ah, a bit of a local myth. If you watch your TV at midnight on a rainy night, it'll supposedly show you your soulmate."

I snorted and laughed. "That's absurd! There's no way its true." Kanji looked away and Yu set his jaw in grim smile. "Wait, you guys believe in it?" Yu shook his head.

"No, no, it's just that anytime someone new comes to town people pretend like they see them on the Midnight Channel, and they end up getting harassed for a bit so we just wanted to give you a heads up." Yu smiled. "You know, be friendly classmates and all."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, I guess." Yu nodded. "Wait, classmates? How'd you know I was going to go to Yasogami?"

"Ah, just hoping I suppose. Be nice to have an idol around, give the gals something to strive for, y'know?" His smile grew wider. Too wide.

"C'mon dude, lets get out of here." Kanji muttered, clearly uncomfortable. He looked over at me. "See ya 'round." It was my turn to nod. They walked out the door and were lost to the bright midday sun almost instantly.

"Weird." I muttered.

"Hm. That Yu boy seemed nice." Grandma was nodding as she eyed the merchandise, making sure it still looked good. "Certainly a lot nicer than that Tatsumi boy."

"You didn't feel anything weird from Yu?"

"Weird?" Grandma looked thoughtful. "I felt that way about your grandpa when I met him. Maybe it's love at first sight."

A shiver went up my spine. _If that's what love feels like, I don't want any part of it._

"Or maybe not." Grandma admitted, seeing the expression on my face.

"Hello? Police, may we enter the premises?" A deep voice called from the front of the store. Grandma and I turned to see a man, probably in his 30s, standing just inside the door, jacket casually tossed over one shoulder. He wore a neatly pressed shirt and tie, but his pants were wrinkled from use. His black hair was short and neat, but a five-o'clock shadow highlighted his strong chin. His brown eyes took in everything. The badge at his hip was really just overkill, everything about this man screamed 'detective'. Oddly, he smelled like coffee and children's shampoo.

Slightly behind and to the side, there was a young man. Maybe mid-twenty's with longer, unkempt black hair. His suit was obviously of good make, but equally obvious the man didn't care to wear it properly or keep it in good shape. It looked loose and shoddy on him, which just contributed to the general impression of being a slacker I got from him.

_The detective's partner? No wonder he's in a bad mood_.

"Yes, officers? Please, do come in." Grandma bowed to the two cops. The older one stepped forward and held his badge up to Grandma, as if we didn't already know he was a cop, and spoke.

"I'm detective Dojima, and this is my partner detective Adachi with the Inaba police." Grandma nodded, all smiles, waiting for Dojima to get to the point. "We wanted to speak with Rise Kujikawa."

Grandma nodded in my direction. "She's right there officers, but may I ask what you need her for first?" Grandma bowed again.

"No need to be so formal," Dojima said, returning the bow, "we just wanted to make sure we knew each other. I'm sure you're both aware of the string of murders in town, and since she's a celebrity she's bound to draw more attention. If we're on friendly terms, it'll be easier for us to share information and cooperate."

Grandma bowed again. "Of course, sirs, Rise please come here and speak with these nice officers."

I stepped forward and bowed, a little intimidated by the two officers. Dojima chuckled nervously.

"Ah, don't you start too. You're not in trouble or anything, please relax." Dojima sounded like he meant it, but I remained stiff and nervous.

"Yes, sir. I mean detective. I mean, uh, yes detective Dojima." He laughed, a happy, good natured laugh.

"How about you call me Dojima, okay? You're not in trouble." He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled warmly.

"And you can call me Adachi!" The other detective piped up. His voice was _mousy_, like he was doing his best to not draw attention to what he was actually saying.

"Adachi, can it! No one asked you." Adachi flinched at the anger in Dojima's voice.

"S-sorry, sir." The surprise on Adachi's face was genuine, but it felt like an old routine between these two.

"Why don't you go outside and watch the traffic?"

"B-but the traffic is fine-"

"Adachi, people have seen us come here. You know how gossip spreads. Half the town will be here soon and we need to get be on top of crowd management. Go!" Adachi flinched again and walked out the door. Dojima grumbled about rookies and glanced at his watch and muttered some more.

"I guess he isn't going to show. Let's get started." Dojima pulled a flip-top notebook from his breast pocket. "You're aware of the murders in town recently, correct?"

I nodded.

"Do you have any questions about them? We believe you might be targeted, so we're going to keep an eye on you, but we'd like to be as transparent as possible."

_Me? Targeted? _I swallowed through a suddenly dry mouth.

"Why me?" My voice was a hoarse whisper.

Dojima nodded. "The killer seems to be targeting people of notoriety. I'm sad to say you're the most notable thing to happen to Inaba in the past few weeks, so it's a fairly logical assumption you might be targeted. Now, keep in mind this is purely speculation. But we'd like to stay ahead of this if at all possible."

I nodded again.

"Okay. Do you know of anyone who may wish to harm you, or may have followed you here?"

_What a loaded question. I could name half a dozen stalkers off the top of my head._

"No. No one specifically." Dojima looked at me. He wasn't even trying to be intimidating and I was scared of him. How much worse would it be if I'd actually done something? "I mean, there are all sorts of creepy people and stalkers, but that's part of being an idol. I can't think of anyone who would want to _hurt_ me, though."

"Hmm. Could you provide us with names, just to be sure?"

"My manager has a list of known stalkers, I can have him forward it to you." Dojima nodded.

"I've spoken to him on the phone, I can get that taken care of."

_Inoue spoke to the cops? When? Why didn't he tell me any of this?_

"Ah, there you are Detective Dojima. My apologies for the delay." A soft voice came from the front of the store.

"Shirogane! You're late. The hell took you so long?" Just inside the door stood a young man. I'd never seen anyone look so elegant in a double breasted jacket. Blue hair peeked out of a cap that could only be described as 'old fashioned', but combined with the bowtie at his neck the whole thing worked. It was wonderfully retro. His eyes were a soft gray, but they saw just as much- maybe more- as Dojima's eyes did. A soft smile played at his lips.

"There's a bit of jam today, it seems word has gotten out that there's an idol in town."

"Of course. Damn gossipers." Dojima sighed. "Well, whatever, you're here now. Rise Kujikawa this is Naoto Shirogane, he's a private detective helping out with the case." My eyes widened in shock.

_A private detective? He can't be any older than me!_

A slight blush colored his cheeks as Naoto saw my reaction. "Yes, well, now that introductions are out of the way let's get to it. How far did you make it in my absence, Detective?"

_He's ordering Dojima around! This kid is ordering a full blown detective around!_ I felt positively worthless next to him, what was being an idol at my age compared to ordering cops around?

He looked up and his gray eyes met mine for the briefest of seconds. I saw something in his eyes, something he was desperate to hide, something incredibly familiar. His eyes held that same sorrow I felt when I wondered about my path, wondered if I was who I thought I was.

_What could make him feel like that? What in the world-_ _No! No way!_ He tore his eyes from me. My jaw fell slack, my mind turned to mush.

Naoto Shirogane was a woman.


	5. Chapter 4: An Incident

Of course it was just a gut feeling, but there was something about the way Naoto held herself that just screamed 'woman' to me. I think it had to do with all the time I spent as an idol. You spend day after day watching people pose, studying how to look more feminine and avoid 'masculine' mannerisms so you could employ them for yourself. "An idol that walks like a man doesn't get a single fan." Inoue was fond of saying.

And that's what it was with Naoto. She walked _like_ a man, but for anyone who was paying attention it was obvious that it wasn't how she naturally walked, like seeing someone with a sprained ankle trying to fake being able to put weight on it. Of course it wasn't just how she walked, it was how she talked, held herself, moved her hands, everything. It was all so tailored to be how a man would do those things that it just slipped under people's eyes. They expected Naoto to be a man because she said he was, and did things they recognized as 'male', so in their eyes she became a man.

_Oh, this is too cool! Hiding in plain sight, I'm so jealous!_

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kujikawa." Her voice was soft but carried strength and surety. Naoto extended her hand to me, and with a nervous start I took it. Her grip was firm but her hand was soft. Strange as it may sound it was the best handshake I'd ever had in my entire life, calm, controlled, firm and ending in the perfect amount of time. It conveyed authority but the authority of someone who wanted to help, not dominate.

I think I blushed.

"Nice to meet you too!" I smiled my idol smile and put too much energy into my voice, trying to cover the sudden embarrassment I felt. She raised an eyebrow but didn't question me about my sudden enthusiasm.

"Getting back on topic," Detective Dojima's gruff voice brought me back to reality, "did you have any questions for us about the case?"

I looked at him blankly for a moment. "Case? Oh! The murders? Like what?" Dojima grimaced and made a note.

"I'll take that as a no, then." The blush returned to my cheeks. I'm sure the detective thought I was some ditzy pop idol, but he'd be distracted by Naoto too if he knew the truth! "Shirogane, anything you'd like to add?"

"Yes." She nodded and touched the bill of her hat. It was done so unconsciously it was the most natural thing I'd seen her do all day. "I do strongly suspect that you will be the next target. I'd like to take a couple of steps to ensure that nothing happens to you. I've cleared these with the police already, of course. If I may explain?"

"Uh, okay. Sure." What else could I say?

"One: I am going to enroll in Yasogami high. It is an excellent cover for my presence in Inaba, and will allow me to remain closer to you. Is that okay?"

"Yes? I don't think I could stop you from going to school..." Naoto smiled wryly. It looked beautiful on her face.

"No, I suppose you couldn't at that. Number two: I would like to walk you home after school." A blush crept up Naoto's cheeks and he looked away. "I know what it would look like, but it does make for a good cover story and I of course would not actually be dating you and if there is someone else you would rather-"

"No, it's fine! I understand, believe me." I said with laughter in my voice. Amusing as it was that Naoto was pretending to be a man who was pretending to be my boyfriend, I also felt a little sad for her. How much easier would this be if we could have just walked home as friends? "It'd be nice to walk home with someone so cute."

Naoto's blush deepened and Dojima coughed. Apparently I'd managed to embarrass them both.

"A-anyway, my last request. Since it is so..." Naoto looked over her shoulder at the milling crowds outside, straining for a look of me, "...busy here today, could we meet tomorrow at a more quiet location to discuss the particulars of our arrangement? I do not want to be seen with you in the presence of an officer, at least in an official capacity." Dojima nodded.

"It really would help us if you were okay with this, Ms. Kujikawa. No offense to Shirogane here, I don't much like using outside help, but we both came to the same conclusion about you." Dojima sounded like he was angry, apologizing, and begging all in the same sentence.

"Sure! It's kinda scary, actually _really _scary, but you two won't let anything happen to me?" Sometimes the idol charm couldn't help but come to the surface.

"R-right." The two detective said at a loss for words.

"Then I put myself in your hands. Take good care of me!" I knew it wasn't the time for jokes, but I couldn't help myself.

Someone slammed the front door open, thankfully sparing the two detectives from needing to respond.

"Detective Dojima! Detective Adachi is chasing someone down the street!" Dojima spun at the words. A uniformed officer stood in the door, pointing down the street. "They went this way!" He ran out the door Dojima and Naoto hot on the officer's heels. For a moment I stood frozen in place.

_The cops were chasing someone. Someone who was in front of the store. Does that mean- was the murderer already here, waiting for me?_

All the levity I'd felt a moment ago evaporated. I suddenly felt very cold.

"Well, come on girl, let's go see what all the fuss is." Grandma said, pushing me gently toward the door.

"Huh, but, wha-" My protests were muted as we walked out the front door and saw the scene in front of us. Detective Adachi was kneeling on a man's back holding his arms back and putting handcuffs on him. Detective Adachi was grinning widely, like it was his birthday, and even detective Dojima seemed a little pleased.

Looking at the man on the ground I noticed that there was blood oozing from his nose and lips. Someone had clearly attacked the man in an attempt to subdue him, and it had clearly worked. The man was chubby, probably in his early 20's, and had that look of quiet desperation you see on so many otaku these days. Like the world around him wasn't good enough to be called reality. He looked like so many obsessive fans of mine, I felt sorry for him as much as I never wanted to see him again.

_Did that man really kill three people? Was he waiting outside the shop to try and kill _me?

Detective Adachi hauled him to his feet and shoved him down the street. Dojima followed him, and the two were soon out of sight. "It appears my plans may have been premature." I yelped in surprise. Naoto chuckled. "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you."

"S-sorry. It's, uh, a little freaky you know?" Naoto looked at me. "Well, I mean, that guy was just outside the shop waiting for me, right?"

"True, but you were in the company of three detectives." I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Yeah. At least it's over with now, right?"

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps? What-" Naoto shook her head sharply, and turned away from me. Kanji was approaching the two of us, eyes downcast and a confused expression on his face.

"Hey." He said, not looking at either one of us.

"Mr. Tatsumi, what can I do for you?" He looked up, blushed, looked back down.

"I, uh, was it okay what I just did?" Somehow he managed to blush even deeper.

"It... was rather unorthodox. I would have preferred you not put yourself in danger like that, but I suppose I do owe you my thanks for catching him."

My jaw dropped. "Kanji, you caught that guy?" He looked at me and hidden in his eyes was a pain that was all too familiar to me.

"Well, I dunno, something just told me to go get him. I just- I smacked the crap out of him. I know he's some low life scum, but he didn't even put up a fight and I still just beat the shit outta' him. I don't-"

Naoto put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Tatsumi. Adrenaline makes us all do strange things." For a second Naoto's gaze drifted off into the middle distance, and I realized she was thinking. "If you would like to make it up to us, I have a proposal.

Kanji eyed Naoto suspiciously. "Yeah?"

"Yes. I plan on escorting Ms. Kujikawa to and from school and I'd like you to assist with that. Undeserved as it may be, your reputation will help fend off crowds of looky-loos."

"Why're you gonna escort Rise?"

"I believe the murderer may come after her next."

"Didn't the cops just arrest him?" I interjected, before Kanji could ask the obvious question.

"I... have my doubts in that matter, Ms. Kujikawa. I would prefer we go with the original plan until the police have a conviction. Of course, Kanji would only be involved at your permission."

Kanji was looking at me. Looking into Kanji's eyes you could see a creative soul who wanted to make everyone around him happy, hiding behind the veneer of a punk so he wouldn't be hurt anymore. How more people didn't see the kind, caring, happy Kanji I saw when I looked at him was beyond me.

Although he was still a little slow.

I bowed to Kanji, and smiled. "I would be honored, Kanji, if you would escort me."

The blush returned to his cheeks. "I, uh, yeah, that's. Sure." He stuck his hand out awkwardly, and Naoto and I shook it.

"Well, with that settled I believe it's time we got out of your hair. I'll make sure the police leave a patrol car in the area." She nodded and turned away. "Mr. Tatsumi I have some details to discuss with you, if you'll come with me please."

"Y-yeah, sure." The two of them walked up the street, toward the shrine. With how Kanji hung on her every word, I would have sworn the two were a couple. Of course, Kanji still thought she was a he. Huh. Maybe there was even more to Kanji than I thought there was.

"Come on Rise, let's go inside. It's supposed to rain all night."

"Gah! Grandma, stop sneaking up on me!" I turned and smacked her arm.

"Sneak? You think a woman my age can sneak? No no, the city must have damaged your hearing."

"Ugh, whatever, you're sneaking and you know it." I spun and stormed through the door, only then realizing that the milling crowds had been waiting for me to say or do something to acknowledge them. Sighing, I pushed the door back open, put on my best idol smile and spoke. "Go! Home!" The door closed behind me as I walked away, and Grandma turned the lock. I couldn't see her but I knew she was smiling at me, whether because I was denying my idol status or standing up for myself I wasn't sure. Either way, it had felt great.

Grandma shuffled to the kitchen, and I went to my room to change out of the tofu covered work clothes I'd been given. The TV loomed large in the corner, and I realized that it had been years since I'd had the spare time to sit in my room for a whole evening and watch TV. I smiled like a kid who has just been told she can eat as much ice-cream as she wants.

It was going to be a great evening.


End file.
